Jaggery

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Jaggery
Sa-indian-gud.jpg
A block of jaggery with a US penny for size comparison
Main ingredientsSugarcane juice, boiled and concentrated.
Similar dishes Muscovado, Panela, palm sugar

Jaggery is a traditional non-centrifugal cane sugar [1] consumed in the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, Central America, Pakistan, Brazil and Africa. [2] It is a concentrated product of cane juice and often date or palm sap without separation of the molasses and crystals, and can vary from golden brown to dark brown in colour. It contains up to 50% sucrose, up to 20% invert sugars, and up to 20% moisture, with the remainder made up of other insoluble matter, such as wood ash, proteins, and bagasse fibres. [2] Jaggery is very similar to muscovado, an important sweetener in Portuguese, British and French cuisine. The Kenyan Sukari ngutu/nguru has no fibre; it is dark and is made from sugarcane and also sometimes extracted from palm tree. [3]

Contents

Etymology

Jaggery comes from Portuguese terms jágara , jagra , borrowed from Malayalam ശർക്കര (śarkara), which is borrowed from Sanskrit शर्करा (śarkarā). It is a doublet of sugar. [4]

Origins and production

Non-centrifugal cane sugar (jaggery) production near Inle Lake (Myanmar). Crushing and boiling stage.
The process of making granular jaggery

Jaggery is made of the products of sugarcane and the toddy palm tree. [5] The sugar made from the sap of the date palm is more prized and less commonly available outside of the regions where it is made.[ citation needed ] The toddy palm is tapped for producing jaggery in India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal, Myanmar and Sri Lanka.

In Sri Lanka, syrup extracts from kithul ( Caryota urens ) trees are widely used for jaggery production. [6]

All types of the sugar come in blocks or pastes of solidified concentrated sugar syrup heated to 200 °C (392 °F). Traditionally, the syrup is made by boiling raw sugarcane juice or palm sap in large, shallow, round-bottomed vessels.

Preparation

Harvesting sugar cane without pre-burn - the abundant waste on the ground will be irrigated to release nutrients for the next crop Harvestor cutting sugarcane.jpg
Harvesting sugar cane without pre-burn – the abundant waste on the ground will be irrigated to release nutrients for the next crop

Historically, the sugarcane cultivators used crushers that were powered by oxen, but all modern crushers are power-driven. These crushers are placed in fields near the sugarcane plants. The cut and cleaned sugarcane is crushed and the extracted cane juice is collected in a large vessel. A quantity of the juice is transferred to a smaller vessel for heating in a furnace.

The vessel is heated for about an hour. Dried wood pulp from the crushed sugarcane is traditionally used as fuel for the furnace. While boiling the juice, lime is added to it so that all the wood particles rise to the top of the juice in a froth, which is skimmed off. Finally, the juice is thickened. The resulting thick liquid is about one-third of the original volume.

This hot liquid is golden in colour. It is stirred continuously and lifted with a spatula to observe whether it forms a thread or drips while falling. If it forms many threads, it has completely thickened. It is poured into a shallow flat-bottomed pan to cool and solidify. The pan is extremely large to allow only a thin coat of this hot liquid to form at its bottom, so as to increase the surface area for quick evaporation and cooling. After cooling, the jaggery becomes a soft solid that is molded into the desired shape.

The quality of jaggery is judged by its colour; dark brown means it was not clarified during the making, or the sugarcane juice was boiled with full nutrients intact. Some people misinterpret this as impure and clarify the juice to improve colour while taking out the nutrients to make golden-yellow jaggery, which is nothing but refined sugar. Due to this grading scale, coloured adulterants are sometimes added to jaggery to simulate the golden hue which may be toxic.[ citation needed ]

Natural dark brown jaggery is derived from whole sugarcane juice, by means of boiling at nearly 200°C in a large cast iron pan. Food-grade mustard or castor oil (having a high smoke point) is usually used in such pans in negligible quantity (approximately 2 teaspoons per 100kg) so that the very hot juice froth does not come out of pan during boiling. Mustard or castor oil is present in whole jaggery in traces, and the qualities of such oils (laxative) coincide & support this quality of whole jaggery.[ citation needed ]

Many manufacturers use synthetic oil, and argue that since it is in trace amounts there is no health concern. However, synthetic oil even in traces can be toxic[ citation needed ]. So, one not only needs to verify the wholesomeness of jaggery (attained with no clarification), but also verify the type of oil used, even in traces.

Uses

South Asia (Indian subcontinent)

Jaggery is used as an ingredient in sweet and savoury dishes in the cuisines of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Iran. For example, a pinch of it is sometimes added to sambar, rasam and other staples in Udupi cuisine. Jaggery is added to lentil soups ( dāl ) to add sweetness to balance the spicy, salty, and sour components, particularly in Gujarati cuisine.

In Sri Lanka, jaggery is usually made using the syrup of the kithul palm tree, or from coconut syrup. [7] The respective names in Sinhalese are kitul hakuru (කිතුල් හකුරු) and pol hakuru (පොල් හකුරු). Jaggery from the syrup of the Palmyrah palm is more prominent in the northern part of the country; this is referred to as palmyrah jaggery or thal hakuru (තල් හකුරු). Jaggery made from sugarcane syrup is considered inferior to palm syrup-based jaggery varieties, and the term jaggery (හකුරු) is generally understood in the country to refer to the latter. [6]

Maharashtra in India is the largest producer and consumer of jaggery known as "gul" (गुळ) in Marathi, "gur" (گڑ) in Urdu, "bellaṁ" (బెల్లం) in Telugu, bella (ಬೆಲ್ಲ) in Kannada, “Vellam”(வெல்லம்) in Tamil, "sharkara" (ശർക്കര) in Malayalam , "Gōḷa" (ગોળ) in Gujarati , "miṣṭa" (मिष्ट) in Sanskrit, "guṛa" (ଗୁଡ଼) in Odia, gur (गुड़) in Hindi and , " guṛ" (গুড়) in Bengali.

Kolhapur is one of the largest producers of jaggery in India and has a GI Tag for jaggery. [8] Most vegetable dishes, curries, and dals, and many desserts contain it. Jaggery is especially used during Makar Sankranti for making a dessert called tilgul . In Gujarat, a similar preparation known called tal na ladu or tal sankli is made. In rural Maharashtra and Karnataka, water and a piece of jaggery are given to a person arriving home from working under a hot sun. In Indian culture during the New Year feast, jaggery-based sweets are made. In Andhra, Telangana and Karnataka on Ugadi festival day (New Year), Ugadi Pachadi is made from jaggery and five other ingredients (shad ruchulu- sweet, sour, salt, tangy, spice and bitter) and is consumed symbolizing life is a mixture of happiness, disgust, fear, surprise, anger and sadness. Also, it is considered auspicious to see jaggery in dreams in Hinduism.

Molasses (काकवी), a byproduct of the production of jaggery, is used in rural Maharashtra and Karnataka as a sweetener. It contains many minerals not found in ordinary sugar and is considered beneficial to health in traditional Ayurvedic medicine. [9] It is an ingredient of many sweet delicacies, such as gur ke chawal / chol ("jaggery rice"), a traditional Rajasthani or Punjabi dish.

Jaggery preparation by heating juice in the vessel on furnace Jaggery.jpg
Jaggery preparation by heating juice in the vessel on furnace

In Gujarat, laddus are made from wheat flour and jaggery. A well-known Maharashtrian recipe, puran poli , uses it as a sweetener apart from sugar. Jaggery is considered an easily available sweet which is shared on any good occasion. In engagement ceremonies, small particles of it are mixed with coriander seeds (ધાણા). Hence, in many Gujarati communities, engagement is commonly known by the metonym gol-dhana (ગોળ-ધાણા), literally "jaggery and coriander seeds".

Jaggery is used extensively in South India to balance the pungency of spicy foods. In Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu it is used for sweets such as chakkara pongal and milk pongal, which are prepared with rice, milk, and jaggery. During Sankranti, Ariselu , an authentic Andhra Pradesh dish, is prepared. In Tamil Nadu, ellurundai (sesame balls), Adhirasam and pori vilangu urundai (puffed rice balls) are prepared as an offering - called prasadam - to god during Puja and festivals such as Diwali, Tamil New Year and Janmashtami.

A sweet liquid called Paanakam , made of water, jaggery and peppercorns is prepared as the favorite offering to Lord Rama during Rama Navami festival. In Kerala, it is considered auspicious and is widely used in cooking. It is a vital ingredient in many varieties of payasam , a sweet dish.

In Tamil Nadu, jaggery is used exclusively as a sweetener. It is used in a dish called chakkarai pongal. It is prepared during the festival of Pongal (Thai Pongal), which is held when the harvesting season begins. It is used to make kalhi, to sweeten fruit salads and payasam (sweet milk) that are offered to the gods. Jaggery is used in religious rituals. In rural areas, cane jaggery and palm jaggery are used to sweeten beverages, whereas refined sugar has replaced it in urban areas.

Semisolid sugarcane juice drying in another pan for preparation of jaggery: a practice in India Bellam pakam.JPG
Semisolid sugarcane juice drying in another pan for preparation of jaggery: a practice in India

In Odia cuisine, cakes or piṭhas contain jaggery. Pithas like Arisa pitha are made out of jaggery called guda in Odia. Kakara pitha contains coconut filings which are caramelized using jaggery. Guda is also added to rice flakes known as chuda and eaten for breakfast. Some marmalade made of mango and dillenia contain the ingredient.

In Bengali cuisine, it is commonly used in making sweet dishes, some of which mix jaggery with milk and coconut. Popular sweet dishes such as laḍḍu/laṛu or paṭishapta piṭha mix it with coconut shreds. Jaggery is molded into novel shapes as a type of candy. The same preparation of sweets have been made in the neighbouring state of Assam. Some of the popular sweet dishes of Assam such as til-pitha (made of rice powder, sesame and jaggery), other rice-based pitha, and payas are made of jaggery. In some villages of Assam, people drink salty red tea with a cube of gurd (jaggery), which is popularly called cheleka-chah (licking tea).

Traditional Karnataka sweets, such as paayasa, obbattu (holige) and unday use different kinds of jaggery. A pinch is commonly added to sambar (a.k.a. huLi saaru) and rasam (a.k.a. saaru). Karnataka produces sugar and palm-based jaggery.

Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh has the largest jaggery market in the world, followed by Anakapalle in the Visakhapatnam District in Andhra Pradesh. The Kolhapur District in western Maharashtra is famous for its jaggery, which is yellow and much sought-after in Maharashtra and Gujarat. Mandya in Karnataka is known for its jaggery production.

Southeast Asia

In Myanmar, jaggery, called htanyet (ထန်းလျက်) in Burmese, is harvested from toddy palm syrup. In central Myanmar and around Bagan (Pagan), toddy syrup is collected solely for making jaggery. The translucent white syrup is boiled until it becomes golden brown and then made into bite-size pieces. It is considered a sweet and is eaten by children and adults alike, usually in the afternoon with a pot of green tea. It has been referred to locally as Burmese chocolate. Toddy palm jaggery is sometimes mixed with coconut shreds, jujube puree or sesame, depending on the area. This type of jaggery is used in Burmese cooking, usually to add colour and enrich the food.

Other uses

Other uses include jaggery toffees and jaggery cake made with pumpkin preserve, cashew nuts, peanuts and spices. Jaggery may be used in the creation of alcoholic beverages such as palm wine.

Besides being a food, jaggery may be used (mixed in an emulsion with buttermilk and mustard oil) to season the inside of tandoor ovens. [10]

Jaggery is used in natural dying of fabric. It is also used in hookahs in rural areas of Pakistan and India.

Nomenclature

Burmese jaggery at a market in Mandalay Burmese jaggery.JPG
Burmese jaggery at a market in Mandalay

In the Indian Subcontinent

In Southeast Asia

Cambodia

The production of palm jaggery in Cambodia Cambodia-Palm sugar-14-2007-gje.jpg
The production of palm jaggery in Cambodia
  • Skor tnaot (ស្ករត្នោត) in Khmer [11]

Myanmar (Burma)

Sugarcane jaggery in Myanmar JaggeryMyanmar1.jpg
Sugarcane jaggery in Myanmar
  • Htanyet (ထန်းလျက်) [Toddy Palm Jaggery] (pronounced [tʰəɲeʔ] ) in Burmese
  • Kyan Tha Kar (ကြံသကာ) [Sugarcane Jaggery] in Burmese

Malaysia

Indonesia

Philippines

Philippine sangkaka or panutsa are disc-shaped because they are traditionally made in halved coconut shells. 06893jfCuisine Foods Landmarks Baliuag Bulacanfvf 41.jpg
Philippine sangkaka or panutsa are disc-shaped because they are traditionally made in halved coconut shells.

Thailand

Vietnam

Elsewhere

Making Jaggery (Gur) in Punjab Making Jaggery (Gur) in Punjab.jpg
Making Jaggery (Gur) in Punjab

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sugar</span> Sweet-tasting, water-soluble carbohydrates

Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose, fructose, and galactose. Compound sugars, also called disaccharides or double sugars, are molecules made of two bonded monosaccharides; common examples are sucrose, lactose, and maltose. White sugar is a refined form of sucrose. In the body, compound sugars are hydrolysed into simple sugars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glutinous rice</span> Type of rice

Glutinous rice is a type of rice grown mainly in Southeast and East Asia, and the northeastern regions of South Asia, which has opaque grains, very low amylose content, and is especially sticky when cooked. It is widely consumed across Asia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sri Lankan cuisine</span> Culinary traditions of Sri Lanka

Sri Lankan cuisine is known for its particular combinations of herbs, spices, fish, vegetables, rices, and fruits. The cuisine is highly centered around many varieties of rice, as well as coconut which is a ubiquitous plant throughout the country. Seafood also plays a significant role in the cuisine, be it fresh fish or preserved fish. As a country that was a hub in the historic oceanic silk road, contact with foreign traders brought new food items and cultural influences in addition to the local traditions of the country's ethnic groups, all of which have helped shape Sri Lankan cuisine. Influences from Indian, Indonesian and Dutch cuisines are most evident with Sri Lankan cuisine sharing close ties to other neighbouring South and Southeast Asian cuisines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Panela</span> Unrefined whole cane sugar, typical of Latin America

Panela or rapadura is an unrefined whole cane sugar, typical of Latin America. It is a solid form of sucrose derived from the boiling and evaporation of sugarcane juice. Panela is known by other names in Latin America, such as chancaca in Chile, Bolivia, and Peru, piloncillo in Mexico. Just like brown sugar, two varieties of piloncillo are available; one is lighter (blanco) and one darker (oscuro). Unrefined, it is commonly used in Mexico, where it has been around for at least 500 years. Made from crushed sugar cane, the juice is collected, boiled, and poured into molds, where it hardens into blocks. It is similar to jaggery, which is used in South Asia. Both are considered non-centrifugal cane sugars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Muscovado</span> Type of unrefined brown sugar

Muscovado is a type of partially refined to unrefined sugar with a strong molasses content and flavour, and dark brown in colour. It is technically considered either a non-centrifugal cane sugar or a centrifuged, partially refined sugar according to the process used by the manufacturer. Muscovado contains higher levels of various minerals than processed white sugar, and is considered by some to be healthier. Its main uses are in food and confectionery, and the manufacture of rum and other forms of alcohol. The largest producer and consumer of muscovado is India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Palm sugar</span> Sugar extracted from the sap of palm trees

Palm sugar is a sweetener derived from any variety of palm tree. Palm sugar is sometimes qualified by the type of palm, as in coconut palm sugar. While sugars from different palms may have slightly different compositions, all are processed similarly and can be used interchangeably.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rice cake</span> Food item made from rice

A rice cake may be any kind of food item made from rice that has been shaped, condensed, or otherwise combined into a single object. A wide variety of rice cakes exist in many different cultures in which rice is eaten. Common variations include cakes made with rice flour, those made from ground rice, and those made from whole grains of rice compressed together or combined with some other binding substance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chikki</span> Peanut-based confection

Chikki is a traditional Indian and Pakistani sweet (brittle) generally made from nuts and jaggery/sugar. There are several different varieties of chikki in addition to the most common groundnut (peanut) chikki. Each variety of chikki is named after the ingredients used, which include puffed or roasted Bengal gram, sesame, puffed rice, beaten rice, or khobra, and other nuts such as almonds, cashews and pistachios.

<i>Borassus flabellifer</i> Palmyra palm, toddy palm

Borassus flabellifer, commonly known as doub palm, palmyra palm, tala or tal palm, toddy palm, lontar palm, wine palm, ထန်းပင် (htan-pin) or ice apple, is a fan palm native to South Asia and Southeast Asia. It is reportedly naturalized in Socotra and parts of China.

<i>Caryota urens</i> Species of flowering plant

Caryota urens is a species of flowering plant in the palm family, native to Sri Lanka, India, Myanmar and Malaysia, where they grow in fields and rainforest clearings, it is regarded as introduced in Cambodia. The epithet urens is Latin for "stinging" alluding to the chemicals in the fruit. Common names in English include solitary fishtail palm, kitul palm, toddy palm, wine palm, sago palm and jaggery palm. Its leaf is used as fishing rod after trimming the branches of the leaf and drying. According to Monier-Williams, it is called moha-karin in Sanskrit. It is one of the sugar palms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neera</span> Palm nectar used as a drink

Neera, also called palm nectar, is a sap extracted from the inflorescence of various species of toddy palms and used as a drink. Neera extraction is generally performed before sunrise. It is sweet, translucent in colour. It is susceptible to natural fermentation at ambient temperature within a few hours of extraction, and is also known as palm wine. Once fermented, Neera becomes toddy. Neera is widely consumed in India, Sri Lanka, Africa, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, and Myanmar. Neera is not the juice made from palm fruit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coconut sugar</span> Sugar produced from the coconut palm

Coconut sugar is a palm sugar produced from the sap of the flower bud stem of the coconut palm.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Palm syrup</span>

Palm syrup is an edible sweet syrup produced from the sap of a number of palms. It is produced in the Canary Islands and coastal regions of South America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Non-centrifugal cane sugar</span> Traditional raw sugar obtained by evaporating water from sugarcane juice

Non-centrifugal cane sugar (NCS) is the technical name given to traditional raw sugar obtained by evaporating water from sugarcane juice. NCS is internationally recognized as a discrete and unique product by the FAO since 1964 and by the World Customs Organization (WCO) since 2007. WCO defines NCS as "cane sugar obtained without centrifugation". It also states that "the product contains only natural anhedral micro-crystals, of irregular shape, not visible to the naked eye, which are surrounded by molasses' residues and other constituents of sugar cane". NCS is produced in most sugarcane-growing regions of the world, being known by many different names such as panela, jaggery, or gur. Some varieties of muscovado are non-centrifugal.

Mirzapur is a village in Ishwarganj Upazila of Mymensingh District in the Division of Mymensingh, Bangladesh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mont (food)</span>

In the Burmese language, the term mont translates to "snack", and refers to a wide variety of prepared foods, ranging from sweet desserts to savory food items that may be cooked by steaming, baking, frying, deep-frying, or boiling. Foods made from wheat or rice flour are generally called mont, but the term may also refer to certain varieties of noodle dishes, such as mohinga. Burmese mont are typically eaten with tea during breakfast or afternoon tea time.

References

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  4. wikt:jaggery
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  6. 1 2 Balachander, Vidya (26 January 2017). "Sri Lanka's 'Kithul' Palm Syrup: An Ancient Sweetener In Need Of Saving". NPR .
  7. "Stop Eating Jaggery for Weight Loss Now - Side-Effects, Benefits". Archived from the original on 4 April 2023. Retrieved 28 August 2021.
  8. "Kolhapur: Second Largest market of gur" (PDF). IRJET. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  9. "Jaggery and Confectionary". APEDA, Agricultural & Processed Food Products Export Development Authority. Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India. Retrieved 19 June 2009.
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  11. Jacob Jacobs, Judith (2001). A Concise Cambodian-English Dictionary. Routledge. p. 206. ISBN   978-0197-1357-4-7.
  12. "Brown Sugar from Okinawa | Art of Eating". artofeating.com. Archived from the original on 22 April 2013. Retrieved 13 September 2015.
  13. "ما هو الجاجري( jaggery الجاكري) وما فوائد وأضرار هذا السكر الهندي للصحة | أعشاب الهيرب ALHERB". أعشاب الهيرب ALHERB | فوائد وأضرار الأعشاب و النباتات والزيوت العطرية (in Arabic). Retrieved 5 October 2023.